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After 50 Years, A Nanny's Beautiful Photography Is Found And Her Story Is Nominated For An Oscar (30 Pics)

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary that tells the story of a brilliant woman whose gifted eye for photography was never recognized in her lifetime. Despite how much time and practice she put into her craft, Vivian Maier's beautiful images were never shared with anyone until former real estate agent John Maloof discovered them in 2007.

John Maloof bought the bulk of Maier's boxed possessions in 2007, unsure of what to expect. He went nearly 2 years without any means of contacting the woman behind the brilliant images. In 2009, a Google search finally led him to her obituary. She had passed away just earlier that year. Now, with 30,000 negatives to go through, Maloof decided to dig deeper and really find out who this remarkably talented woman was. Maloof finally shared the collection he had acquired with the Flickr community. This led to a viral sensation and everyone wanted to know… Who is Vivian Maier?

Vivian Maier's story is an unusual tale of a woman who worked as a nanny in Chicago for 40 years and took unbelievably beautiful pictures as a hobby in the mid-20th century.

She went her whole life without recognition for her breathtaking compositions, lighting, and subject matter.
She kept her hobby hidden from those around her, including the children she helped raise as a live-in nanny.

According to Maloof, the children said, "She was constantly taking pictures, which she didn't show anyone."
Later in life, she fell on hard times and had all of her personal belongings in storage—including photographs, negatives, and undeveloped rolls of film—auctioned off.

Thankfully these candid moments she captured on the streets of New York, Chicago, and great cities across America have been discovered and preserved.

Maier did a bit of traveling, visiting parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, but she is best known today for her inspiring glimpse into old American urban life.

It's her portraits of ordinary people on the street that are especially captivating.

It's her portraits of ordinary people on the street that are especially captivating.